Caster



Auw, 1930.`V w. HORMES 1,112,314

. CASTER Filed Aug. 9, 1927 n i Y. l?!

` tatedbya bendin the track.VVV f 40 y `The invention will be herei Patented AugQS, 19301` ,WILLIAi/rf'r. Romans,l or" cA'roNsvILnE, MARYLAND` foascriinfl .i Application iledfAugustS, :1927. '*Seral No. 211354. i

@This invention-is a caster fonsupporting ,f p the sldable doorsor panels of display racks,

cabinets and the like. i y V 5 Display racks and cabinets of the; so-called enclosedltypa for convenient display kof ready madegarments and other merchandise generally, are now' in extensive use as standarid? equipment in `mercantile establishments. They are v@usually `constructed with glass `l0 walls orpanels, so that the goods on display maybe readily-seen'by prospective customers,

y the iront wallof a case or compartment being usuallymadeup otslidabledoors or sections, which may bernoved to permit ready access to the articles within the case.. order that the articles-on display may be protected from dust Vand `similar ,contaminatio'n` `it is desir-` able, and in fact important thata substantially `close Contact be maintained-between they 20 Vedges of the door and the surfaceswith which they cooperate. Onerot theobjectszofthe in? vention is .to` provide a caster designed to meet the above `mentioned requirements'. A` kiur- -ther object is.toprovide a castercapable of` Vbeiingreadilysecured tothe door or other articlewhich itisfintended to support, and to provide means for 'effect-ing` vertical adjustment of the supportingroller with respect to the said article,y so that vthe article may be properly positioned within the opening in .whichitisfoperating A further object is to provide means torf permitting.` a {swivelling movement fot-,the roller. when the, article lis moved, without aiifectingthe vertical, adjust-jv Y ment.- A further objectisftoprovideacaster which'mav be madeto travel withina track-` 4Way, and be capablev otreadily ac conimodat. ing itseltfto any changeot direction necessiafterfully set for-th,and-particularly pointed out .inthe claims. i f i l l In the accompanying drawing yFigure 1 ,is a perspective viewy i l v llustrating Y a caster constructed in accordance with the in vention and applied toa slidingdoon VFigure-21s' a vertical sectional view ofthecas vter. Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view onthe line 3 3, Figure 2. Figure 4 isa detail view illustratingthe adjusting nut'.`

Referring tothe drawing, 10 designates a portion Vot a sliding dooror panel, such asthev Vdoor of a displayr cabinet or the like, and l1 the'track-way for the caster. y Securedto one face of the door 10 is a casing 12, whichis vprovided with perforated ears 13, to receive the securing screws 14, ,by` which the casingv is attached ,to the ldoor 10. Said casing is pro'- vided with a rearwardly extended shelf pon edgeo-t the doorso as to support the same.

s The casing 12 is provided with a barrel-like portion 16, having its upper kend Closed by a being open. y .Said barrel-portion is provided rwith a slot 18contiguousto the top wall17, as shown, andan opening 19 is formed in said top wall, said openingbeing of smallerjdiameter than the internaldiameter of the barrel portion 16. f y v lThe casterinember consists of avcylin'drical body 20. providedwitharms Qlcarryinga pin or rod 22,- on which is rotatably mounted ,the wheel 23, in, a well known manner. EX-t tendingupwardly 'from the body 20 isa shank v211, 'and if desired, a fiber lubricating VringQrrnaybe fs et in'to the top of the body Q20 so asftofencircle. said shank. 1{Loos`ely ,mounted-uponthe shank 24 so ,asV to permit vrelative rotation is` a sleeve 25 provideilwith external screw-threads 2 6; Said sleeve is of less diameter thanthe caster body Q ()so that itslower end terminates opposite the top face topwalljorabutment plate v17, its lower end L of said body. Said ,sleeve isoffapproximately the same length as; the shank' Q4," and Visl held 'against endwi se movement relative to vthe `shankin any-desired manner. vFortinstance theiree end of the shank-maybe peeneelor` spread over Vtheadjacent end fof `l the sleeve. USaid, sleeve 1s smaller in cross tion 15` positioned to 1*extend `unde'rthe lower 60 i be rotated in suitable manner, as by means ofA the parts prevented.

section than the diameter of opening 19. A portion of the threaded surface of the sleeve is cut away and flattened, as indicated at 27, and a stop pin 28 is driven through the top wall 17 across a portion of the opening 19, so as to engage the out away or flattened portion 27 of said sleeve, and prevent rotation of the sleeve with res ect to the casing 12. Rotat-y ably mounted upon the sleeve 25 is a nut 29, which is of approximately the same diameter as the caster body, and interposed between said body and ysaid abutment plate so that it may engage either of them. Said nut may is prevented byreason of thenut 29 abutpassed through the ears 13.

ting against the underside of the wall or abutment plate 17. The sleeve 25 is then rotated so as to bring the4 cuta`wav surface 27 parallel with the vertical wall of the casing 10, and the pin 28 isthen driven through the shelf 17 in a chord-lilreposition with respect to'said opening. lnthis manner the rod 28 will engage the ilattenedportion 27 of the sleeve l25 `and.preventrotation thereof, and will also limit longitudinal movement of the sleeve and thereby preventthe caster from droppingout Y of the casing, because said rod will engage the `shoulder formed at the upper end ofthe 'flat-V tened portion 27 rvand prevent the sleeve from passing'lout of the hole 19. The assembled caster and casingaresecured to the door 10 in suitable manner, as by means of screws 14 .After the' casing has been'attached to the 'door and the roller 22 placed in the track` 11 in a well known manner. It will be noted that vthe nut 29 fills the spacebetween'surfaces of the' abutment plate 18 and the caster body 21, .andiotatively engages both of them. Bv thisV .'arrangement, play between 'the parts is re duced toa minimum and the nut cooperates lwithlboth surfaces to obtain a jacking effect .in Vadjustingthe caster either upwardly or downwardly. ln practice, the nut 29'is Vad- `justed to raise or lower the dooras the case may be, and thereby bring the lower end of thedoor suiticientlvclose to the track 11i-to re- 4duce' toa minimum the space through which dust land other contaminating material may pass into thefcabinet to which the door is secured, V.It vwill bei noted thaty the wall 17 acts .as ,ani abutment member for the nut 29 and thatthe weight of the door is carried by the shelf 15 and also the caster member through the interposed nut 29. yT he tapered extension 31 serves to maintain the nut 29 in a concentric positionwith respect to the sleeve 25.

The advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which it belongs. It will be particularly noted that a very simple form of adjustable caster is provided, which is capable of freely swivelling under the operation of the door, so as to readily conform to the curvatures of the `track without disturbing` any adjustment which may have been made. lt will be further observedthat where a plurality of casters are employed to sustain a movable article, they mayV be individually adjusted without ditliculty so as to maintain the article in a perfectly level position. This is particularly importantin the case of a door which may be vmounted to freely `slide without binding.

lt is to be understood that although the invention has been described 'as particularly adapted for use on the doors of'display cabinets and the like, this application of the invention has been selected solely for illus# trative purposes. The invention, however, is not limited tofthis specific use, but-may be employed for movably supporting articles offurniture, and any other articles of the type normally supported by casters.

Having thus vexplained the nature of the invention and described an operative manner ofconstructing and using the same,altho ugh without attempting to set Vforth all of the forms inwhich vit may be made, or all of the forms of its use` what is claimed is 1 A caster ofthe character described comprising a caster member provided with a cylindrical body and a longitudinally extended shanlnfa supporting casing having a-barrel with which the periphery` of said caster body has rotative engagement, said casing also hav# ing an abutment plate spaced from one end of Asaid barrel and provided.' with an `opening I through which said shank extends, 4said'opening havinga.v tapered portion, any exteriorly threaded sleeve ,rotatably engaging said shank and also extended'through said openino; but held againstlongitudinal'movement withL respect to the shank,` a nut rotatably engaging said sleeve, said, nut being interposed between and engagingoppositely dis'- posedfsurfaces of: said abutment lplate and said'c'aster body, said nut having a tapered sleeve complementaltoithe'tapered portionof said openingand means unaffected by adliustments of the'caster for normally preventing rotation'v 'ofsaid sleeve. Y

2. A caster of.thecharacterfdescribedicomprisingv a caster' member provided with a cy# lindrical body anda longitudinally extended shank, a supporting' casing having a barrel with which the peripheryof sai'd Caster body has rotative engagement, said casing also liaving'an abutment plate spaced from one end of said-barrel and provided with an opening through which said shank extends, an exteriorly threaded "sleeve rotatably engaging said shank and also extended through said opening, a nut rotatably engaging said sleeve, said nutbeing interposed between and engag-,`

ing oppositely disposed surfaces ofsaid abut-y ment plate and said caster body, and apin extended through the opening in said abutment plate and having'a portionv exposed Within said opening, said sleeve having a 10ngitudinal recess positioned to engage vsaid pin so as to lprevent rotation of the-sleeve.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. n n p v *Y WILLIAM T. HORMES. v 

